1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control element, particularly for automotive electronics, comprising programmable haptics.
2. Description of the Background Art
Known are control elements with various movement combinations. For example, pressure/rotary switches, joysticks (press, slide, and rotate) etc. are known. With conventional MMI control elements (man-machine-interface), the force/path behavior of the deflection movement is frequently mechanically fixed by spring elements. The haptic feedback to an operator is also transmitted via the spring elements (DE 41 21 571 C2).
From DE 36 05 088 C2, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,922, a control device for a magnetic videotape device from a technically remote field is known. It is provided with coils to simulate click-stop positions independent of the rotational position of the rotary knob. In this manner, mechanical functions are to be electrically simulated.
From “Mensch-Maschine-Interface,” Proseminar Software for automotive control devices, by Gary Weissenbacher, pages 7 to 10, it is known that, depending on the position of a cursor on a display unit, different haptics can be generated by an electric motor so that a driver can recognize the input situation without taking his or her eyes off the road and the traffic.
Also known are electronically controlled liquid rotary knobs used as haptic control elements (DE 100 29 191 A1, which corresponds to U.S. Publication No. 2002057152). A gap located between rotary knob and magnetic circuit is thereby filled with a magnetorheologic liquid. A coil is provided to produce a variable braking effect on the rotary knob.